Studies consistently show that over the summer, kids don’t just get a break from learning math and reading. They often actively lose learning, with test scores dropping after the break.
Still, kids need some time off. They need fun, they need their family time, and they deserve a break after a year of hard work.
That’s why it’s important to keep practicing math and reading, especially during the summer, in ways that are fun and don’t feel like homework.
Page To Screen Club
Pick a great book that has been made into a great movie or TV series.
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, is an especially excellent one as long as your child is old enough to handle some of the intense themes. Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, is amazing and empathetic. Beezus and Ramona, by Beverly Cleary, is timeless.
For younger kids, there are a variety of Disney books, such as The Little Mermaid and 101 Dalmatians. The Disney movie and book versions mesh beautifully. Or, there are Clifford the Big Red Dog books, books based on the Bluey cartoons, and so many more.
First, read the book together and discuss it. Then have a movie night (don’t forget the popcorn!) and talk about how the versions were alike and different.
Late-Night Book Party
When my older kids were small, we had a special rule for bedtime. Screens went off at a certain time, but books were allowed for an additional hour. Also, there was an unspoken understanding that I would never be strict about ending reading time, as long as it didn’t result in morning problems.
For summer, consider planning a late-night book party. Your kids can use their booklights in a blanket fort or even in a backyard tent. Plenty of snacks, and let bedtime slide.
Comic Creations
Encourage your child to create their own comic book. You can purchase blank comic books or print out templates. Or, you can fold blank paper to create dividing lines for panels, or let them divide it themselves.
Then, they plan a story and tell it with pictures and words.
Consider being lax on any rules or expectations about grammar, spelling, word count, or handwriting for this one. The main point is that they are writing and reading!
Postcard Pals
Remember pen pals? Bring back the idea in a more colorful way with postcards.
This gets exciting because there are several steps. First, you shop for postcards together. Does your town have a museum or other attraction? Are you taking a vacation to the beach? Which postcard is right for Grandma, or for a school friend, or for a cousin?
Then, the writing expectations aren’t too daunting, because it’s such a short space. Your kid dashes off a few sentences and a signature. Next there’s a trip to the post office, then, finally, waiting for a return message.
It doesn’t feel like a reading-and-writing exercise, but it does keep your kid involved in both!
Scavenger Hunt
These are fun to design and a blast for kids. Start with a clue you hand to them. Maybe this one says, “We’re just getting started! TIRED? Don’t be! To find the next clue, check the TREE!” and leads them to the tire swing.
Each clue can be a riddle or more direct, depending on your child’s ability, and should be written at a level they can read. (Pre-readers can have image clues!)
At the last clue, your child finds a prize. It could be a book, candy, or other treats, or a gift they’ve been wanting. (Last year, when I did one, the prizes included popsicle molds and new headphones — two things I was going to give them anyway.)
Board Games
Board games are an awesome way to spend time together as a family. We’ve recently started playing Clue, and I keep being blown away by the deductive reasoning my kids are developing.
Board games are also excellent for maintaining academic skills. They don’t feel like work (okay, maybe sometimes they do for the parents), and yet they tend to involve reading and math, even if it’s just counting squares. Games like Monopoly are especially great for keeping up math skills. Trouble, Sorry, and Battleship all involve at least a little mathematical reasoning and strategy.
Another cool option is the Cards Against Humanity Family Edition. The family edition skips the more adult themes of the original game, but involves a bit of reading as your kid picks the funniest answers possible.
Playing Store
Playing store is one of the best games for math practice with smaller kids.
Let your child set up a pretend store and sell you items for play money. Then, switch roles. Set prices on items, and help your child practice picking out the correct amounts of money and exchanging them.
Keep it interesting by changing up your roles — try pretending to be a customer who can’t find the item you want, or struggling to count your fruits. Keep your child laughing (and doing math).
Baking Together
Is there a more iconic way to practice math and reading while having fun together than baking?
The summer after your child learns to add fractions, make a double-batch of your favorite cupcakes or brownies. Try a new recipe and let them do the reading. If the baking time differs between an 8-inch square pan and a 9-inch square pan, have your child measure the pan to get it right.
While you’re baking, you can also try substitution experiments, like replacing oil with applesauce or making a cake with a boxed cake mix by replacing the eggs, oil, and water with a can of soda. Let your child read the instructions for these substitutions, make the cake in two different ways, and discuss the differences in the finished products. Aside from reading, this is practice in deductive reasoning and observational skills.
Road Trip Math
Are we there yet? Nope, we have just enough time to talk about the distance, our speed, and how to estimate our arrival time.
If the theme park is 75 miles away, and we travel at 60 miles per hour, then that’s about as many minutes as miles. Help your child do the addition: if it’s 8 am now, what time will it be in 75 minutes?
Or, tell them what exit you’ll stop at for lunch, and help them find the next exit sign. If exits are about a mile apart, then they can do the math and figure out how many minutes until the lunch exit.
Also, they should be on the lookout for signs. When should they expect a sign for the state line? Can they help watch for road construction signs, speed limits, and other important warnings?
Minecraft Map
This is still one of my top favorite things my kids have ever done in homeschooling. First, they took notes and made sketches to remember the location of major landmarks (library, courthouse, etc) in our town. Then, they recreated it in Minecraft.
They were welcome to employ creative license, as long as they could show their work at the end.
This actually involves a good bit of writing, reading (street signs, building signs), spatial awareness, and a fair bit of math for proportions and scale. The fun part, though, is that it doesn’t feel like it.
Nature Time
Take a hike. Go fishing. Follow a nature trail. Go camping.
One way or another, get your kids outside in nature, and make it real. This can absolutely involve some reading and math if you like (mile markers, trail signs, maps), but it inevitably involves connection to the world around them, which is also part of learning and growing.
Your child can do experiments, such as gathering leaves, acorns, and pebbles, and seeing which float and sink. They can observe animal habitats and feeding habits. (What do squirrels eat? How does living in a tree help protect them from predators?) They can learn about human impact on the planet (leave nothing but footprints; take nothing but time).
Afterward, there’s always the opportunity for more reading about the world around them, and/or writing about what they saw.
Record A Podcast Or News Show
If your kids are like mine, they already have favorite podcasts and content creators. Even if they’re younger, they may have watched content over parental shoulders. (One of my sons was 3, playing with a toy cake and carrying on a monologue, when he surprised me by inviting his imaginary audience to “like and subscribe!”)
Whether or not they’re old enough to have their own social media, they can record their own video podcast. It doesn’t have to be posted to be fun to record!
Let them pick a topic: unboxing (it can be an item they already own), instructional (building a specific structure with blocks, for instance), or informative (about some topic they find interesting). They can plan and write either a full script or just show notes, then record!
Library Summer Reading Program
If your library has a summer reading program, it’s a great way to get involved. Some require kids to give an oral or written report on what they’ve read. Others only ask kids to keep a list and report in.
Many have weekly events that can include guests (authors, magicians, etc.), art projects, and other fun elements. This year, the American Library Association (ALA) and the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) have picked “Unearth A Story” as the theme, so most public libraries will use that, with variations. That means this year, your child is likely to encounter dinosaurs, natural history, and connections to local parks and museums.
If you don’t have easy access to a local library or your library isn’t participating, We Are Teachers has a list of summer reading programs available to everyone. These include programs through companies like Chuck E. Cheese and Pizza Hut, as well as items you can print at home.
Deep Dive
Summer is a great time to develop a special interest. What does your child love? Whales? Dinosaurs? The ocean? Space? Maybe it’s even Pokémon, Nintendo, or Lego.
Take a deep dive. Plan a trip to learn more about this interest. That could be the zoo, the aquarium, a national park, the library, or your own backyard. Find books about the subject. (Your child loves their Nintendo Switch, but did they know the company used to make playing cards? Do they know the backstory behind the Pokémon franchise? There’s lots to learn.)
Your child can also take notes and write down what they’ve learned. When it’s about something they love, it doesn’t even feel like work (much)!
Audiobook & Podcast Vacations
If you’re going on a trip, utilize that car time!
Share an amazing audiobook together.
Some of our favorites have been Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books, the Ralph S. Mouse books by the same author, and the Junie B. Jones books. They all translate well to audio and appeal to a broad range of ages.
For younger kids, Julia Donaldson’s books (everyone loves The Gruffalo) and Disney story collections are great.
You can also find lots of short stories, fables, and fairy tales on podcasts. Anything that gets your child interested in stories can be a positive!
